Bradford-on-Avon Town Council – a unanimous “No!”

Bradford-On-Avon Town Council said members agreed unanimously to oppose the announced proposal to reduce environmental standards that would apply to the planned gasification waste-to-energy plant in Westbury which was previously approved at appeal, over the objections of Wiltshire Council, the town council and many others. 

The council said, “Such a proposal is incompatible with the Climate Emergency declarations of both the town council and Wiltshire Council, upon which the plant would have a clear impact.  

“Further, planning to reduce controls on harmful emissions during an ongoing pandemic is very deeply concerning, given that evidence suggests that poor air quality exacerbates the symptoms of Covid-19, as it does many other pulmonary diseases.”

The town council sent a letter to NREL in 2019 expressing grave concerns and seeking answers to questions around the application. The council noted that those questions remain unanswered, and the concerns are un-allayed.

“It is therefore considered that little has changed which would produce lower standards, and would have  a direct impact on our community and others nearby. The proposed changes, which are likely to appear in a revised planning application next month, will compound and increase the negative environmental impacts; not just with regards to increased carbon and particulate emissions but also increasing vehicular activity delivering larger volumes of waste, placing additional stresses on the town’s already overloaded highways infrastructure.

“We understand that as a reduction in waste going to landfill and generating power, a waste-to-energy scheme could be beneficial as short term waste disposal and energy generation, especially if it also reduces haulage miles. However, we also know but are unclear as to the reason emissions standards were reduced by central government in 2019; changes which have paved the way for this revised proposal.

“These changes are counter to the government’s avowed reduction in carbon footprint, and also detrimental to the immediate well-being of the residents across the entire area. They also have run contrary to various court decisions which have cited the government for failing to have in place a lawful plan to improve air quality,

“We therefore consider this proposal and any subsequent application to amend the approved plan, to be directly damaging and impactful on our community, the region, and environment and ask that it be withdrawn immediately.”